Early morning, Oct. 8 at Copper Mountain, where the overnight snow reached nearly to the valley floor. PHOTO BY BOB BERWYN.

And the race is on …

By Bob Berwyn

SUMMIT COUNTY — Loveland fired up its snowmaking system early Friday morning to get a jump start on the annual race to open. A cold front passing through the area brought temperatures down into the 20s, and the forecast calls for the cool weather to linger at least through the middle of next week, which should give both Loveland and A-Basin a chance to lay down at least a few inches of base.

A-Basin COO Alan Henceroth wrote in his blog that his snowmaking crews are also standing by, waiting for the wet bulb temperature to drop to 28 degrees. The wet bulb temperature is the combination of temperature and relative humidity, he explains. For example, if the thermometer reads 32 degrees, and the relative humidity is 60 percent, it adds up to the right conditions for snowmaking.